Welcome to Dark Dorset!
Welcome to our new improved Dark Dorset website - Dorset's premier website devoted to local folklore, customs, mysteries and the unexplained.
Based on the successful publication Dark Dorset: Tales of Mystery, Wonder and Terror by Robert. J. Newland and Mark. J. North. and Dark Dorset Calendar Customs by Robert. J. Newland.This site is an online
compendium of information relating to local folklore and mysteries that can be discovered in the county of Dorset.
Click on the menu on the left of your screen to explore the wonderful world of Dark Dorset.
The site is regularly updated, so I do hope that you come back soon!
August
- Lammas
The 1st August is the ancient festival of Lammas Tide, which traditionally is the start of the harvest calendar: - A time of giving thanks to mother nature for all her fruits and reaping what has been sown.
The Celts originally called it “Lugnasad” and would celebrate by honouring Lugh, the sun God; however, the Saxons renamed the festival “half-maesse” meaning “loaf mass,” which later became Lammas, as we know it today. Traditionally it was the day when the first new grain was milled and baked into small loaves of bread, which were offered on the altar as thanks giving for the first fruits of the harvest. Click here to read more about Lammas Tide & Harvest Home - The Festival of the First Fruits
- The Tears of St. Lawrence
From the 10th August, the next few days you may be privileged to see the Perseid meteor shower, debris of the comet Swift-Tuttle whose "radiant" (point of apparent origin) is in the constellation of Perseus. This meteor shower is known as "The Tears of St. Lawrence" since August 10th is the date of that saint's martyrdom and because it is most visible at this time of year, though these streaks of light can sometimes be seen as early as 17 July and as late as 24 August. When you see a "shooting star," make a wish, as folklore says that wishes made when seeing such a star may come true.
- WEIRD WEEKEND 2010 - Friday 13th to Sun 15th August
Venue - Woolfardisworthy Community Centre, Woolfardisworthy, Bideford, North Devon Devon EX39 5QR
Hosted by the Centre for Fortean Zoology, the Weird Weekend is the largest yearly gathering of mystery animal investigators in the English-speaking world. Now in its eleventh year, the convention attracts speakers and visitors from all over the world and showcases the findings of investigators into strange phenomena. Cryptozoologists, parapsychologists, ufologists, and folklorists are descending on Woolfardisworthy Community Centre. Tickets are £25 in advance for all three days, kids under 16 free.
For more details about the speakers and how to purchase tickets visit
- Happy Birthday "Folklore"
The term "Folklore", was coined, by English antiquarian, William John Thoms on the 22nd August 1846. Thoms is credited with inventing the term under the pseudonym Ambrose Merton in a letter to the London literary magazine ‘Athenaeum’. He invented this composite word to replace the various other terms used at the time including (1803-1885)"popular antiquities" or "popular literature" to describe people’s traditional beliefs, ballads, , proverbs, customs, popular superstitions and legends. To find out more about the study of folklore click here - The Folklore Gazetteer
The Dorsetarian
The Dorsetarian is an online journal featuring a selection of articles and stories on local folklore, mysteries and the unexplained submitted by visitors to this website.
Recent contributions include:-
- Sea Dragons, Fairy Loaves & Serpents of Stone - Dr. Karl Shuker explores the folklore and proto-scientific beliefs attached to Lyme Regis's most famous fossils.
- Daisy Wheels and a Ritual Landscape in Dorset - Ric Kemp examines the strange, centuries-old religious symbols and carvings which can be found in churches in and around Dorset.
Ghost Walks
If you are looking for something different to do this summer, then ghost tours can provide some great entertainment, especially if they're ghost tours after dark.
With Dorset having a lot of ghosts, it stands that there will be quite a number of ghost tours and haunted walks to be enjoyed.
Click on the Ghost to the right to see our 'Ghost Walk Page' - a collection of haunted walks, some permanent, some seasonal, which you can investigate.
Reviews
Shock! The Black Dog of Bungay: A Case Study in Folklore by Dr. David Waldron and Christopher Reeve
The tale of the Black Dog of Bungay and the infamous attack on the church of St. Marys in 1577, has inspired and fascinated residents and visitors to the town for centuries along with tales of Black Shuck the Ghostly Dog of Norfolk.
To this day, sightings of the Black Dog are common through the region and form an integral part of local folklore and myth. At the same time, the history of the legend itself tells its own tale of the town of Bungay and how the community has responded to crisis through local folklore and myth.
This book, a collaborative effort between local historian Christopher Reeve and historian and anthropologist Dr. David Waldron, traces the rise of this story from its origins in the trauma of the English Reformation to the contemporary era where it has become a central part of Bungay’s communal and civic identity and a colourful and intriguing aspect of local folklore.
Now available on DVD from Newland Media
Mummers Plays of England 'In Comes I
~Wessex~
'In Comes I' takes an informative look at the exciting 'mumming' tradition with interviews and asides from Frome Valley Mummers and others. Look out for some terrific revived plays of morris dancers: Frome Valley Morris, Wessex Morris Men, Babylon and the Dartington Morris Men to the almost unbroken traditions of the Paperboys of Marshfield in Gloucestershire and the rustic charm of the play from Symondsbury in Dorset. Entertaining and insightful with a hint of magic and mystery. You'll want to pick up a sword and take on a knight or two!
Over 90 minutes of mumming action! Double disc set with extra features.
Special Offer: £7.50 UK
£9.99 International Orders
DVDs can be ordered online via:-
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